Volver (I) (2006)

After her death, a mother returns to her home town in order to fix the situations she couldn't resolve during her life.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writer:

Pedro Almodóvar

Stars:

Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 54 wins & 53 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Penélope Cruz	...	Raimunda
Carmen Maura	...	Irene
Lola Dueñas	...	Sole
Blanca Portillo	...	Agustina
Yohana Cobo	...	Paula
Chus Lampreave	...	Tía Paula
Antonio de la Torre	...	Paco
Carlos Blanco	...	Emilio
María Isabel Díaz	...	Regina (as Mª Isabel Díaz)
Neus Sanz	...	Inés
Leandro Rivera	...	Auxiliar Producción
Pepa Aniorte	...	Vecina
Yolanda Ramos	...	Presentadora TV
Elvira Cuadrupani	...	Vecina
María Alfonsa Rosso	...	Vecina (as Alfonsa Rosso)

Storyline

Raimunda, her daughter Paula and her sister Sole travel from Madrid to the windy and superstitious village of Alcanfor de las Infantas to visit the grave of their mother and aunt Irene, who died years ago in a fire with her husband. Then they visit Irene's sister Paula, an old senile aunt that raised Raimunda after the death of her parents that insists to tell them that Irene is alive and living with her; later, they go to the house of her neighbor and friend Agustina, who gives a support to Paula. They return to Madrid, and after a hard day of work, Raimunda meets her daughter completely distraught at the bus stop waiting for her. When they arrive home, Paula tells that she killed her unemployed father Paco, who was completely drunk and tried to rape her. While Raimunda is hiding his body, Sole calls her to tell that their beloved aunt Paula had died. On the next morning, Sole travels alone to the funeral, and when she returns to Madrid, she finds her mother hidden in the trunk of ...

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Plot Keywords:

village | return | fire | death | neighbor | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [es] Official site [it]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

26 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

To Return

Filming Locations:

Almagro, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$276,140 (Brazil) (10 November 2006)

Gross:

$12,899,702 (USA) (18 May 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, El Deseo S.A., Ministerio de Cultura

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First movie of Pedro Almodóvar and Carmen Maura together in 18 years. Their friendship broke after shooting Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

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Quotes

Raimunda: Are there things I should know and don't?
Sole: Oodles.

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Connections

Featured in The Culture Show: Episode #11.7 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Volver"
Music by Carlos Gardel
Lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera
Performed by Estrella Morente

User Reviews

Almodovar, but no carnal episodes

An extremely kind, compassionate and tender film noir, from Spain's most internationally acclaimed filmmaker, might lack some of the suspense his other movies are famous for, but still it keeps the spectator thrilled and anxious until the very last moments. Anyone who likes Almodovar movies should see this one, and you can bring your family along, for a change (kids and grandmas alike).

Indeed, the movie lacks some of the usual Almodovar suspense, and whatever mysteries it contains, are generally solved by the viewer some 20 minutes before they are explicitly and verbally elaborated on screen. It looks like Almodovar lost some of his interest in the telltale part of his movies, paying more attention to acting and emotions. Well, acting is fully worth the shift.

Penelope Cruz is predictably brilliant and gorgeous, but performance by other ladies (from the elderly Chuz Lampreave to teenage Cobo) is also worth applause.